Global Private Jet Departures Flat Year-Over-Year in Week 38 of 2026, Year-to-Date Growth Slips to 3.3%
Why It MattersSlowing global bizjet growth alongside regional divergence — strong African and US fractional gains against Middle East and European declines — signals an uneven, maturing demand recovery.
Global private jet departures in week 38 of 2026, ending September 20, were essentially flat compared with the same week in 2025, marking a second consecutive flat week, according to WingX analysts. Just over 81,000 total departures were recorded worldwide, up about 1% versus week 37, pushing year-to-date growth down to 3.3% ahead of last year, 0.3 percentage points below the equivalent 2024-to-2025 trend. WingX analyst Nick Koscinski noted the most notable growth remains in emerging markets, with Africa up 17.4% last week, while fractional operators continue seeing growth even as overall flight activity growth has stalled.
North America recorded nearly 58,000 departures, retaining the largest regional share, with the United States accounting for approximately 55,981 departures, about 1% more than week 38 of 2025. A roughly 5% year-over-year increase in Texas offset declines in Florida and California, while US departures rose about 3% week over week on a 7% California gain. Las Vegas–Los Angeles remained the most-flown North American city pair. Europe recorded approximately 13,375 departures, roughly flat year over year but down about 3% from the prior week, with France, Germany and Switzerland posting declines; Paris–London remained the top European city pair year-to-date.
Outside North America and Europe, activity fell about 6.5% year over year. The Middle East recorded 1,290 departures, down 19% year over year and 12% week over week, which WingX attributed to the ongoing regional conflict, while Africa posted the strongest year-over-year gain at 17% and South America rose 4%. Part 91K and Part 135 operations globally totalled just under 42,000 departures, about 1% below both the prior year and the prior week, with US fractional and charter flights at 30,890, up about 1% year over year on 8% growth in Texas, and European fractional and charter operations at 8,758 departures, down about 4% from the prior week.
